Redout, the F-Zero and Wipeout-inspired racer, is returning next year, and it’s looking a little different. Redout: Space Assault ditches the fixed racetracks of yesterday’s future, and instead heads out into orbit for frenetic stellar battles between dogfighting spaceships.

Get a taste of the new direction by checking out the teaser, below.

You’ll be flying Super Orbital Recond Fighters for either the rebels or the authoritative Colonisation fleet as they seek out a new home. You’ll be able to pick your fighter, customise your loadout and then jump into space for dogfights, escort missions (booo) and the occasional infiltration of a mothership.

It’s not all fighting in your wee ship, however. Pilots can also dock their fighters with larger vessels , thus taking temporary control of them and doling out upgrades, repairs and orders. It might be a game obsessed with speed and adrenaline, but it also wants to be smart and tactical.

Will you go for a full-on attack on the enemy cargos to cut off their supply lines, or will you make sure to defend yours first? Will you gamble your Corvette’s hull against the enemy Mothership’s defensive turrets, or will you patiently wait for your fighters to take them down before zeroing in for the final blow? Will your be the rogue dogfight ace, the perfect repair support, the Cargo escort, the brave Mothership bomber, the decisive Corvette mastermind? Your call.

Redout will feature online multiplayer, as well as a career mode that spins a yarn about humanity’s attempts to colonise new worlds. Developer 34BigThings emphasises that multiplayer is the focus, however.

The shift in direction seems fairly dramatic, though I’ve not been able to find a reason for the change. Their blog hasn’t been updated since May – before the announcement of the new theme.